


No Longer Lonely

by Taybay14



Series: Octo!Cas [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Comfort, Creature Castiel (Supernatural), Creatures, Cute, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Half-Human, Half-Octopus, Happy, Ink, Lonely Castiel (Supernatural), Lonely Dean Winchester, MerMay, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Octopus Castiel (Supernatural), Pet Castiel (Supernatural), Platonic Relationships, Possible Eventual Smut, Sad, Soulmates, Spoiled pet, Stunted language but he learns, Tentacles, Tiny Cas, anxious, art on tumblr, bond, lonely, octo!cas, possibly, tiny octo cas, tiny!Cas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-02-27 12:39:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18739222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taybay14/pseuds/Taybay14
Summary: When Dean's brother and best friend team up against him with the goal to help cure his loneliness, he's not on board. He's too busy for a damn pet and he's definitely not going to be less lonely when his cat or fish or whatever they decide to make him buy can't even talk back to him. One sided conversations as a pet just stares at him is not going to make him feel any less lonely or pathetic.Then he meets a tiny half-human/half-octopus with big blue eyes and tentacles that remind him of the ocean, and he's hooked.





	1. Chapter 1

Dean scrunches his nose as he watches the bunny poop. Then he looks over at his brother in disgust. “I’m tellin’ ya, Sammy. I am  _ not  _ lonely.” 

 

“You work eighty hour weeks and haven’t dated anyone in three years.” His little brother shoots him a dirty look himself. “So, you must be lonely.”

 

Dean stops by a crate of birds and tilts his head to the side. They’re all pretty colors and they seem pretty chill and low maintenance, which is what he wants. The chirping is kind of annoying though. He moves on. “Sam, I’m not even home enough to have a damn pet.”

 

“Maybe a pet will make you want to be home more.” 

 

“Oh, yes. Because what I want to do with my time is sit on the couch and have one sided conversations with an animal.”

 

A slow smile begins to form on Sam’s face. “I have an idea for that. In fact, I had Charlie keep something for you.”

 

That makes Dean nervous. Charlie is the owner of the shop, but she’s also in their friend group. In fact, she’s constantly working with Sam to better Dean’s life. Whatever she has planned isn’t going to be fun for Dean. It’s probably some exotic cat that can sense emotion and do a dance or some shit like that. 

 

Charlie cheers from across the shop when she comes from the back and sees them. She waves her arm for them to follow and heads toward the fish. A fish, Dean can handle. Those are extremely low maintenance. In fact, he can practically forget about it. He’ll feed it in the morning as he makes his coffee and then the whole damn obligation will be over for the day. Everyone can be happy. 

 

“Dean! I’m so excited! Just wait until you see him!” Dean laughs as Charlie squeezes him into a hug. For the life of him, he can’t stay crabby when she’s around. It’s impossible. She’s just too happy and energetic. 

 

“Hey, Charlie.” Dean pulls away from the hug and winks at her. “Any chance you’re gonna give me some cute little fish I can stick in a bowl in my kitchen and call things good?”

 

She lifts an eyebrow, offended. “Absolutely not. That won’t help with the loneliness at all.” 

 

Swallowing a groan, Dean follows her for the last few steps until they stop at a large tank. She starts speaking but Dean is only half listening. There’s a tiny creature inside the thing. It’s doing flips and swirls, stopping every few seconds to look at the people coming to visit him, before returning to his gymnastics. He has a human head and upper body that’s completely normal except some purple and blue freckles. From his waist down, he has blue tentacles that remind Dean of the ocean . Dean leans closer, reading the info card taped to the tank. 

 

**_RARE_ **

_ Enochian: Male _

_ -High Maintenance _

_ -Intelligent _

_ -Friendly _

 

Dean realizes he’s in deep shit when he reads high maintenance and doesn’t even flinch. He just goes back to watching the little guy. The news had these creatures on a while back. Divers had discovered them in the Bermuda Triangle. Other things were discovered as well, but it was just the Enochians that were brought back to America. They’re going extinct and the scientists wanted to save the species. 

 

The little guy notices that Dean has gotten closer to the tank. He presses his hands against the inside of his tank, peering up at the man. Four of his tentacles suction to the glass while the other four start dancing wildly. He looks excited but also terrified. Like the unknown scares him. 

 

“I want him,” Dean whispers. 

 

The Enochian perks up at his words and Dean stands in surprise. “He can understand me?”

 

“He may have. He’s extremely smart and I know of many around the country that have become fluent in our language, but he’s not very social here. I haven’t had much of a chance to interact.” She shrugs. “He doesn’t speak.”

 

“I want him,” Dean repeats. 

 

Charlie nods but she looks concerned. “You can try to pick him up. They’re too smart to go with an owner they don’t want. He’ll escape your place and then he’ll be in danger. I have to make sure he’s okay with leaving with you.” 

 

“So, if he doesn’t want to come with me, he’ll stay here?”

 

“Yes.” She tilts her head, looking at the little guy. “They have heightened senses. Especially smell. Scientists have realized that they use smell for a lot of things. They use it when choosing interactions with humans. They can actually smell if they can trust someone. If they feel connected to someone. It’s fascinating.”

 

“So, he’ll decide all that when he smells me? When I pick him up?”

 

“Yes.” Charlie giggles. “Before I kept him for you, a few others came to buy him. He did  _ not  _ like them. Don’t be offended if he doesn’t want you either. He’s extremely picky. Pickier than any other I’ve heard of.”

 

Dean sucks in a breath. If this little guy decides he doesn’t want to go with Dean, that might break his heart. It’s crazy to believe that just a few minutes ago Dean wanted some fish he could forget about. Now? He’s already planning activities and conversations and ways to teach him to talk or function or play or anything else. He’s attached. 

 

“Go ahead. Reach in there.”

 

“Do I grab him, or have him come to me?”

 

“Just slowly move toward him. He usually comes no matter what so he can smell you up close. Just go very slow, especially when you pull him out of the tank. If he gets scared or anything like that, he’ll try jumping back in. He almost hurt himself last time.”

 

“Okay.” Dean approaches the tank again and peers down. The little guy is in the center of it, his chin lifted up like he’s waiting patiently. He knows exactly what’s happening. 

 

He reaches into the water carefully and opens his palm. The Enochian’s tentacles all bunch up, like he’s unsure and defensive. Then they slowly relax and he makes his way to Dean’s hand. He sniffs at his finger tip and looks up at Dean in pure confusion. Dean glances at Charlie with an eyebrow raised. “Is this going well,” he whispers, embarrassed at how nervous he is. 

 

She’s staring at his hand in wonder. “Very.”

 

When he feels a weight settle in the palm of his hand, he looks back down. The little guy is settled in his palm and looking at him expectantly. Everything seems to be going well until he’s taken out of the water. Then he’s squeaking and looking terrified again. His eyes dart between Dean and the other two, his tentacles bunching again. 

 

Dean keeps his hands above the tank in case he wants to jump out of his hands. 

 

“Hey, Buddy. Don’t be afraid.” He pauses, unsure of what to do or say. When he glances at Charlie she makes a shooing motion with her hands, as if to tell him to go on with it. Dean takes a breath and looks back at the Enochian. He’s relaxed a little, and he’s got his chin tucked down as he carefully sniffs his hand. “I’m Dean.”

 

The tiny creature tilts his head and scrunches his nose. Then, carefully, he forms his mouth to whisper, “Dee.” Immediately after making the noise, the Enochian grabs one of his tentacles and squeezes it, cheeks flushing red as he carefully peeks up at Dean for approval.

 

Dean’s obsessed. He’s a fucking gonner. 

 

“Yeah, buddy. Dee. Good job.” Dean flashes his best smile, and the Enochian mimics it, forming one on his own face. “I really want to take you home with me. Would that be okay?”

 

He holds his breath and waits. The little guy thinks for just a second before he squeaks and wraps himself completely around Dean’s thumb with a smile. “K! K!” He giggles a little and squeaks again. Dean’s heart nearly explodes. 

 

Charlie claps and Sam gives Dean a huge smile. “So, you’re really doing this? You’re getting him?”

 

“Yeah.” Dean smiles back down at the little guy. “What do I do next?” 

 

“Oooo, the fun part. You spoil him.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean brings his new pet home. The two still have a lot to figure out together.

 

One hundred and fifty dollars later - with his friend and family discount in mind - Dean is home with his new friend. He can’t stop grinning at how cute he is. He demanded to ride in Dean’s flannel pocket as they drove home and keeps releasing tiny squeaks every time he sees something exciting or interesting. It isn't until Dean starts setting up his tank in the bedroom that the little guy decides to venture out of his shirt. He carefully climbs down Dean’s arm so he can  watch from the edge of the table as his home is created. 

Dean fills the tank with brightly colored rocks and lets them settle. The Enochian is entranced, little mouth agape as he watches the pretty pebbles drift. Dean places the castle he bought on one side, letting the opening that leads to an interior section face the front of the tank. He adds some of the plants around as well. He finishes it off by putting in the little treasure chest that opens to release a bunch of bubbles whenever the motion sensor is triggered.

 

The Enochian puts a tentacle to the outside of the tank when it’s all done, peering inside. It’s already full of water, the filter plugged in to make sure it stays the right temperature, clean, and full of the proper amount of salt. It’s ready to go, so Dean asks, “Do you want to go in? Check it out?”

 

He realizes the little guy doesn’t understand because he looks at Dean and tilts his head, eyebrows crinkled. He shakes his head to make it clear he doesn’t understand. Dean points at him, nearly touching his bare chest, before pointing at the tank. “In? Do you want to go in?” he asks, repeating the pointing a few more times. 

 

The Enochian nods frantically and puts his arms up, making grabby motions with his hands at Dean. He’s perfectly capable of climbing into the tank himself, but he’s grown very attached to the man with the soft shirt and nice smells. So attached, in fact, he’s not sure how often he plans on even being inside his new little home. 

 

Dean gently picks him up, cradling him until they get to the opening of the tank. He puts his hand in the water so the little guy doesn’t have to jump, then removes it so he can step back and watch. The Enochian swims past the treasure chest, the box popping open and shooting bubbles toward the lid of the tank. It startles the little guy and he squeaks, a sound loud enough for Dean to hear even with him being under water. There’s a frantic twist of tentacles and arms.  Then he’s disappearing inside his castle. 

 

After a minute of waiting, Dean decides he probably wants some time alone anyway. He lays back on his bed and grabs the book he’s currently reading from his bookshelf headboard. Shifting until he’s fully comfortable among the pillows, he crosses his ankles and opens the book. It’s one Sam bought him. He secretly loves reading but won’t ever admit it. He acts annoyed when Sam buys him books or gives him one to borrow. It’s his place. Everyone expects him to be the badass, tough guy who doesn’t read or like art or any of that stuff. Dean doesn’t mind pretending. No one bothers him. No one fucks with him. He doesn’t get hurt.

 

In the middle of a sentence, Dean feels something wet against his wrist. He looks over to see the little guy looking up at him nervously. His thick black curls are dripping water and sticking to his forehead, but Dean is paying more attention to the cute blush forming on his cheeks and the brilliant, otherworldly blue of his eyes. 

 

“What’s up, little guy?”

 

The creature tilts his head and opens his mouth, but he can’t find any words. He could talk all day to this man in Enochian, but that won’t get him anywhere. When he sighs in frustration, Dean tries to ask again. “Do you need something?”

 

What were those words he used in the store? The man had asked a question using something that sounded like “k”. When he had said “k” back in response, the man looked very happy and took him home. He just can’t quite figure out what “k” represented. 

 

He’ll just have to show him instead. He climbs up his arm and across his chest until he’s only a few inches from the strange thing in his hands. With the tip of one of his tentacles, he pokes at the thing. It’s hard and his touch leaves a small dot of water that soaks into it. He moves his head to look at the man and pulls his shoulders up in question. “K?”

 

“K?” Dean looks at the book, then the little guy, then the book. What the hell does “k” mean? “Um, are you asking what this is? What it’s called?”

 

When the Enochian just stares up at him in confusion, Dean points at the book. “Book.” 

 

He turns his little head to look at the object again. Dean pokes at it a few times with his fingers. “Book. Book.” When he looks back up at Dean, Dean continues explaining. “I, well, Dean,” he says, jabbing a finger at his chest, “Dean is reading the book,” then he points at the book. He does it a few times before pausing, looking at the little guy expectantly. He’s not sure if that’s even what he was asking about, but it’s all Dean could think of. 

 

A tentacle pokes at the page again and he whispers, “Book.”

 

“Yes! Yes! Book. Good job.” Dean nods quickly, smiling wide. The Enochian does a little shimmy. He still doesn’t understand anything but “book” but it’s clear the man is praising him. He loves praise. He loves being good. 

 

Dean says again, including the finger movements, “Dean is reading the book.” 

 

With a look of determination, he pokes a tentacle at the man’s chest. “Dee?”

 

“Yes. I’m Dean.” 

 

“Dee.” 

 

The man smiles. “Good enough.” 

 

“Dee?” the little guy asks quietly, tilting his head in question.

 

“Yeah buddy?” 

 

He doesn’t know how to explain, in words or in hand movements. He wants to thank the man for taking him home. He wants to let the man know how relieved he is to be here. The moment he smelled him, he knew. This man was his. They would be together forever and they would be very happy. He already loves him. 

 

None of that can be told in hand, or tentacle, motions. And he definitely doesn’t know any of those words except in Enochian. 

 

The little one is getting frustrated, breaths coming in huffs as his eyebrows pull in. Dean closes the book and puts it aside, then takes him into his hands. “Are you hungry?” 

 

“K?”

 

“Hungry. Eat. Do you need to eat?” Dean makes a motion like he’s putting something in his mouth, then he points at his little belly to indicate that’s where it would go.

 

With a loud squeak, he shakes his head and tries wiggling out of his hands. He does  _ not  _ want this man to eat him! How could his smell betray him like this? How could it make him believe this man is safe? The man wants to eat him. Like he’s a common fish!

 

He squeaks and squirms until he’s out of Dean’s hands. Then he’s bolting back to his tank. He inks so Dean won’t know where he goes before getting inside the thing Dean called a castle. Then he stays completely still, trying to calm his hearts from the panic. 

 

Dean sits on the bed, completely taken aback by what just happened. Obviously, the little guy misinterpreted what he was trying to communicate. He has no idea what he could have possibly thought. All he knows is he needs to go get some damn food and make it clear that what he was trying to suggest is perfectly safe. In fact, it’s something he  _ needs _ . 

 

Charlie said his favorite kind of fish is tuna, but he’s also allowed human food. After grabbing a bag of tuna he grabs a few chocolate chips from the half gone bag in his baking cabinet. Who doesn’t love chocolate? Hopefully not Enochians. 

 

He sets the food up on a napkin, using a mason jar lid as a makeshift plate. Once everything is ready, he takes a piece of tuna in his fingers and gently taps on the tank glass. He knows he’s in the castle. There’s nowhere else secluded enough for him to hide from all angles. The ink is gone now, making the tank look completely empty. He taps on the glass again. “Buddy, Dean wants to show you. Food. Food to eat. Fish. I have fish. And chocolate.”

 

The little guy comes zooming out of his hiding spot, looking through the glass at Dean. Dean takes the chance and puts the tuna in his mouth, then points to his belly to show what he meant originally. Understanding blooms on the little guy’s face and he scrambles up the glass and out of the tank, trailing water as he gets to the food. He sniffs at it, then turns to look up at Dean with a wide smile. It’s the first time he sees the inside of his mouth. There are these adorable little fangs inside that poke out when he smiles. Dean’s heart bursts again. 

 

“Fish?” he asks excitedly, tilting his head at Dean. He recognizes the word from the red haired lady at the store. She called his daily food fish. There were other things he ate, some he can remember the names of, but fish he knows for sure. Fish is good. Fish is delicious. He wants fish. 

 

He has to be polite, though. His mom would kill him if she knew he wasn’t. So he tentatively points to the fish and says “Fish,” then to himself and says, “Castiel,” then he makes the eating motion, asking permission. When he’s done, he does his usual head tilt in question. 

 

Dean smiles and nods. “Yes. Eat the fish. Castiel?” he asks, pointing at the Enochian again.

 

He nods and points at himself. “Castiel.” Then he points at Dean. “Dee.”

 

“Can I call you Cas?” He points at him. “Castiel.” Then points in the same spot. “Cas?”

 

“Cas. K!” 

 

“Okay. Good.” Dean points to the food, feeling a weight lift. “Eat. Whatever you want. Fish and chocolate.” 

 

A tentacle pokes at the chocolate before coming back and coiling. He’s unsure about this brown thing called chocolate. He will assess later. Instead, he starts on the fish. Dean leaves him be to go back to the kitchen. He heats up some microwave soup and brings it into the bedroom to eat with Castiel. 

 

Most of the fish is gone so Dean adds more. Castiel doesn’t seem interested in it anymore, though. He pokes at the chocolate again. It still seems dangerous. He’s curious about what Dean is eating. He makes his way over to him and crawls up. His little hands curl over the lip of the bowl and he peers inside. It smells delicious. There’s colorful things floating around in the warm liquid. 

 

When he looks up at Dean, the man is smiling again. “Want to try it? Eat?” he asks, pointing at the soup before putting a spoon to his mouth. “Eat? Soup?”

 

“Eat.” He nods, now understanding what “eat” means. 

 

Dean takes a small piece of carrot on the tip of his spoon and holds the spoon to Castiel’s face. It’s still a little too big so he uses a tentacle to take it from the spoon, holding the slippery orange thing while he takes a bite. It’s delicious. He takes the second bite and looks up at Dean, wanting more. This time he’s given a piece of something green. It’s even better than the orange thing. 

 

Together, they finish off the soup. His belly is full so he doesn’t try the chocolate. He’s not heartbroken over it. The stuff still looks weird. Even when Dean eats it himself before cleaning everything up, he doesn’t trust the brown things. 

 

He rides in Dean’s flannel pocket, watching curiously as the man cleans the kitchen. Then they relax on the couch. Dean turns the television on, flipping through the channels until he finds the football game. He situates himself so he’s laying down with his head on a throw pillow. Castiel pokes his head out of the flannel pocket and looks up at him. “K?”

 

“What’s up?” Dean’s starting to realize “k” means Castiel needs something or is confused about something. 

 

“K?” He crawls over to the center of Dean’s chest and pokes a tentacle in the direction of his head. Dean has no idea what it could mean, but he nods. 

 

Castiel smiles wide and scurries up his neck and along the side of his face. His smooth tentacles feel like Dean is brushing against glass. It tickles, and he tries not laugh. When Castiel reaches his hair, he feels some gentle tugging and the weight shifting before he stills. Dean waits for something to happen. Nothing does. 

 

The big box with pictures that are moving is showing these little people running around with a ball. They have helmets on their heads, kind of like the Enochian warriors wear, and they hit each other a lot. The noises coming from the box are kind of loud and weird, but Castiel doesn’t mind all that much. In fact, once he’s used to them, he finds the noises soothing as he lays tangled in Dean’s soft hair. It smells even more like the man up here. In his shirt, there are scents mixed in that throw Castiel off. Something floral comes from the inside of the pocket. And Dean’s hands stopped smelling like him when he cleaned the kitchen. But up here? Dean smells like Dean. 

 

After a while, he starts feeling sleepy. He rubs at his eyes and shifts just a little bit so a fluffier tuft of hair is against his cheek. Then he sinks into the warm strands and drifts off to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art on tumblr : https://destiel-love-forever.tumblr.com/search/tiny!octo!cas


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas & Dean have their first [sort of] fight and Dean makes it up to the little guy with a fun bath (:

When Castiel wakes up from his nap, he’s very curious. He goes to the front of Dean’s head and grabs onto his hair so he can peer down at the man. At some point, Dean fell asleep watching the game. Castiel thinks this is the perfect time to figure some things out while no one is watching. There’s so much to learn. He was in the pet shop for two weeks, and in the scientist’s lab for a month before that, but none of that time was spent in a place like this. Dean called it “home.” Whatever that means, he likes this “home.” He wants to see more of it. 

 

He leaves Dean’s head and climbs on the pillow, then the arm of the couch. He stares down at the floor in fear, realizing just how high up he is. Too high. 

 

He back tracks, making his way across Dean’s head and down his body. When he peers over again, he’s still too high. The couch is too soft against his suckers. He can’t grip it well enough to crawl down the side. 

 

With a frustrated huff, Castiel scurries over to Dean and pokes at him with a tentacle. The man doesn’t wake up. He pokes at his chest a few more times before deciding it’s not enough. He gets closer until he’s right in front of Dean’s face. Then he lifts himself up by straightening his tentacles and carefully pokes Dean’s nose with his tiny hand. He waits a moment and does it again. 

 

Bright green eyes blink open at him in confusion, then a slow smile forms beneath Castiel’s other hand where he was using Dean’s lips to support himself. When Castiel pulls away, Dean asks, “What’s up little guy?”

 

“K!” 

 

“What? You need something?”

 

“K! K!” He squeaks and shimmies. When Dean doesn’t get it, he throws his little hands up in frustration and turns away from him. He makes it to the edge of the couch and points at the floor. “K!” 

 

“You want to get down?” He points at Castiel, “Cas,” then to the floor, “Down?” 

 

“K! Down!” He nods enthusiastically. “Cas down!” 

 

Dean scoops him up and places him on the floor. It’s fuzzy and warm. Not what Castiel expected. He wiggles against the material while trilling happily. It’s even softer than Dean’s flannel pocket, which is saying a lot. Castiel loves that pocket already. 

 

When Dean stands up, Castiel pauses and watches him. The man steps over him and starts leaving the room. Castiel squeaks in alarm and starts to skitter after him. Dean is walking too quickly. He chirps in panic, tiny suckers making popping sounds as he hits the hardwood flooring of the hallway. His chirps grow louder and more frantic, making Dean pause and wait for him. When Castiel finally gets to him, he’s out of breath and shaking. Dean kneels down to see him. 

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“K! K! K Dee! Dee K! K!” He’s wagging a finger while his tentacles flare wildly. His “k”’s aren’t excited or curious. They’re angry. He is clearly upset with Dean. “K! K!” 

 

“Okay, buddy. Calm down. Just, calm down.” 

 

Dean sighs, starting to get a headache. How will he ever communicate enough with him? Charlie said that some have become fluent in English, but Dean isn’t good at teaching languages. Especially when he doesn’t know Castiel’s original language. 

 

The little guy wraps himself around Dean’s hand when Dean offers it to him. Each tentacle takes a finger, the remaining three clinging to his wrist. Then his tiny hands cling to the tip of Dean’s thumb as he plasters his body against it. He shakes his head at him to get him to understand that he didn’t like what Dean just did. “Dee K,” he whispers sadly. 

 

“I don’t know what you need little guy.” He brings him up to his shirt pocket and places him inside. It takes a minute but Castiel finally relaxes all of his appendages and settles himself in the tiny space. He’s pouting but he’s willing to forgive Dean. 

 

_ This time.  _

 

Next time this happens, though, Dean is going to get a serious piece of his mind. 

 

They enter a new room. It’s a nice blue color that Castiel likes. There’s a big blanket type thing hanging to their right. It has an ocean scene on it, with bright fish, corral, and bubbles. 

 

Castiel starts cooing wildly, reaching his hands out and making a grabbing motion. Dean understands what he wants and brings him over to it, putting him in his palm and reaching out so Castiel can see the shower curtain. He holds him for a few minutes, raising and lowering his hand all over so Castiel can see the different fish and plants. Every time Castiel sees a new color fish, he coos and chirps, and his little tentacles change colors to match. 

 

After a long time, he sighs happily and relaxes in Dean’s hand, looking up at him in thanks. “K Dee!”

 

“Now, I need to go to the bathroom. That’s a private thing. I’m putting you down here and you need to stay, okay? Stay. Cas,” he points at him, then points at the rug, “Stay.” He puts Castiel down on the rug and points at him, then the material, again. “Cas stay.”

 

“Stay.” Castiel wiggles against the rug, enjoying the feel of it. It’s a lot like his carpet from the other room. “Cas stay. K!”

 

“Good.” Dean turns his back to him and stands in front of the toilet. Just as he’s starting to pee, a series of tiny pops come from behind him and then Castiel is peering up at him with his head tilted. “Fuck. Cas. Go!” 

 

He tries stopping the liquid coming from his dick but it’s too late. As he finishes, he yells at Castiel and points at the door. “Go! Bad! Go Cas! Go!” 

 

Castiel’s bottom lip puffs out and begins to violently tremble. After a few rapid breaths, he starts crying. Large watery sobs that seem far too intense for his little body. He balls up his tiny fists against his chest and scurries out of the room. Dean swears under his breath and hurries to finish and tuck himself back in his pants. Then he goes after him. 

 

Except… he’s nowhere to be seen. His tentacles had dried so there’s no trail to follow. If he’s still crying, he’s either too far away or he’s muffling it somehow. Dean’s heart races rapidly as he picks up his pace and continues searching. “Cas! Come back. Come back buddy. Come here. Come to Dean.” He spins in a circle, his legs shaking. “Cas! I’m sorry, buddy. Please. Cas!”

 

The little guy tries to stay still in the cabinet he found. It was below the light box that Dean had watched earlier, and part of the door has glass so he can peek out to see if Dean is coming. He sniffles and trembles but keeps any other noises from escaping. He doesn’t want to be here anymore. He doesn’t like Dean. Dean told him he’s bad and yelled and looked very angry. Castiel has no idea what he could have done. 

 

He starts crying hard again. He puts his face in his hands and heaves deep breaths to calm himself. Unfortunately, he’s too loud. A sharp squeak of desperation escapes him and he knows Dean heard it. The man pauses and turns, walking straight toward him. He scrambles deeper back into the cabinet but bumps into large boxlike things. He releases a series of trills and inks himself. 

 

Dean kneels down and opens one of the doors of the living room entertainment stand. He peers inside to find a teary eyed, blushing Castiel. The little guy has his tentacles all twisted together and his hands are cupped in front of him. He’s shaking and cooing under his breath like he’s trying to soothe himself. 

 

“It’s okay, Cas. It’s okay. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, okay?” 

 

He reaches in for him, noticing that he’s sitting in a pool of his own ink. It’s probably not comfortable at all for the little guy. When his hand gets close, though, Castiel hisses. His sharp teeth show while he makes the noise. Dean has to bite the inside of his cheek because it’s fucking adorable, but he doesn’t want to make Castiel feel like he’s defenseless. The poor guy inked himself. He’s obviously distressed. 

 

“I’m sorry, Cas. I - Dee sorry.” He places a hand over his chest and tries to look sad. “Dee sorry. Cas not bad. No bad. Cas good.”

 

Castiel sniffs, rubbing his fists against his eyes. He knows bad and good, they were one of the few words he picked up when the scientists did all those scary tests on him. 

 

“Cas good?” he asks quietly, not understanding how he could be bad earlier but good now.

 

“Yes. Cas good. Dee sorry.”

 

“K,” Castiel whispers quietly, still unsure. “K, Dee.”

 

Dean’s face lights up and the smile makes Castiel calm a little. When Dean puts his hand out, Castiel carefully climbs into it, his face and chest flushing a deep red as he gets his ink all over the place. He pokes at a splash of ink on Dean’s thumb and whimpers, “Cas sorry. Cas bad.”

 

“Oh, buddy. No. It was an accident. No big deal. Cas still good.” 

 

Nodding, Castiel repeats, “Cas still good,” like he’s trying to convince himself. 

 

“How about a nice bath? I bet you’d love a bath. And it’ll get you all nice and clean. Do you want a bath?”

 

“Bath?” Castiel squeaks, tilting his head in confusion. He shrugs his slim shoulders. “Bath?”

 

Dean carries him back into the blue room, walking toward the curtain full of pretty fish. When he pulls it back, there’s a large bin that kind of looks like his tank, if it were to have a lid. He jumps when Dean turns a knob, loud water rushing out from a hole somewhere he can’t see. When he realizes what’s happening, though, he scampers down Dean’s arm and reaches out for the tub. He does a flip in the air as he slips, landing in the water with a painful  _ plop _ . 

 

Trying to catch his breath, he swims beneath the water, letting his body use the familiar sensations to calm itself down. When he feels better, he pushes to the surface and blinks away the water from his eyes. Dean is giving him a careful smile. “I’m sorry, are you okay?”

 

“Cas K!”

 

“Good.” Dean’s smile grows. Then he’s digging in a cabinet, making lots of noises that hurt Castiel’s ears. The tiny creature dives back under the water where everything is nice and muted. He attention turns toward the powerful stream of water that’s filling the tub. As he gets close to it, the force sends him flying back, his body doing spins as it zooms across the water. He giggles and waves his tentacles in excitement, swimming back to do it again. And again. And again. 

 

Then a pink substance is being added, creating bubbles that float to the surface. Castiel finds himself giggling as he plays among them. 

 

When Dean turns the water stream off, Castiel swims to the surface and glares at him with a frustrated huff. His anger fades when he sees that Dean is adding colorful toys to the water. There’s a little boat, a colorful ball, and various rubber squirt toys. Castiel investigates the rubber toys first. There’s a duck, a stingray, and a bumblebee. The last one is what Castiel finds most interesting. He climbs up on it, using its antennas for support, and squeals. His tentacles wiggle and dance as he grins up at Dean. 

 

“K! K! K!” 

 

Dean smiles. “K,” he agrees. 

 

He sits back against the toilet and watches Castiel play for what may be hours. The little guy goes and goes until he’s stretched out on the stingray, his eyes unable to stay open. Dean picks up the whole toy, letting Castiel continue to sleep on it, and carries him into the bedroom. He gently sets him down inside his tank, a warmth spreading in his chest at how damn cute the tiny octopus is, and decides to take another nap. 

 

Apparently, being a tiny octopus/human’s dad is a hell of a lot of work. He’s exhausted. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on tumblr : https://destiel-love-forever.tumblr.com/
> 
> ** search tiny!octo!cas tag for corresponding art for this fic & this chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short but sweet! Enjoy (:

Dean takes the day off from work, using some of his vacation time that had built up over the years. He leaves Castiel sleeping soundly in his tank, starting his routine by showering and making coffee. Just a few minutes into the morning news, when the weather man is starting his weekly report, Dean feels something wet against his foot. He looks down to find a very angry looking Castiel. 

 

“Good morning, buddy!”

 

“K! Dee K!”

 

Dean sighs. “I don’t know why you’re upset, but please stop yelling at me.”

 

Little eyebrows pulling in, Castiel puts his arms up and gives Dean a clear bitch face that informs him he demands to be picked up immediately. The moment Dean has Castiel up on the couch, placed in the center of his chest so they’re facing each other, Castiel takes a deep breath. Then, very slowly, he tells Dean, “No stay.”

 

Dean scratches his forehead. “No stay?”

 

“Cas no stay. Cas bad. Dee sorry. Cas good. Cas bath.” Dean nods, following the broken narrative as Castiel outlines what happened last night. Castiel pokes a tiny finger at Dean’s chest and declares, “Dee no stay. Dee bad.”

 

“Buddy, I don’t - what do you mean?”

 

“Dee no stay! No stay! Cas - Cas,” Castiel sputters to a stop. He huffs in frustration and crawls into Dean’s palm, pointing at the hall as if to tell him he wants to be carried down it. Dean listens, walking slowly so that he can follow Castiel’s finger points. When they get into the bedroom and sit on the bed, Castiel finally stops directing him. He turns to look at Dean and carefully explains, “Dee no stay.” He points at Dean, “Dee,” points at the bed, “no stay.” 

 

Understanding the issue now, Dean gives Castiel a sad smile. “I left when I woke up. That was probably pretty scary, hey? Did you wake up in your tank scared? Sad?” Dean points at the tank, then Castiel. “Scared? Sad?”

 

Castiel just shakes his head. He doesn’t know what those mean. An idea dawns on Dean and he pulls out his phone. He pulls up youtube and finds a video of someone crying, clearly sad. He shows Castiel the 13 second clip three times, after each viewing explaining, “Sad.” Then he does the same by finding a video of scared. 

 

Castiel gnaws on his bottom lip. He looks at the tank, then at Dean’s phone, then up at Dean. “Dee no stay. Cas sad. Cas scared. Scared. Scared.”

 

“Oh, buddy.” Dean scoops him up and holds him close to his cheek, smiling when Castiel nuzzles him with his cool nose. “Dean is so sorry. Cas no scared. Cas safe. Cas is very very safe, always. I promise.”

 

He feels Castiel nod against him. “Cas safe. No scared.” 

 

“Good.” Dean plants a kiss on Castiel’s tiny forehead before standing up and walking to the hallway. He plans on going to the kitchen to cook them breakfast but Castiel gets distracted when they pass the bathroom. He tugs on Dean’s sleeve and points frantically in the direction of the bathroom door. When they walk in and Dean turns the light on, Castiel practically jumps out of Dean’s arms and into the bathtub. Dean had forgotten to drain it the night before, so the cold water breaks Castiel’s fall, but there’s still a huge splash. 

 

He laughs when he realizes what Castiel was after. The little guy is using his tentacles to keep himself afloat while holding the little bumble bee up with both arms, presenting it to Dean with a very proud smile. 

 

“That’s a bumblee bee,” Dean tells him. He points the toy and says, “Bee.”

 

“Bee! K!”

 

“Do you like the bee?” When Castiel just tilts his head in confusion, Dean tries a different approach. “Cas like the bee? Bee make Cas happy? Happy?” He repeats ‘happy’ a few times while pointing at a smile. 

 

Castiel nods quickly. “Bee make Cas happy happy happy.”

 

“Good. That means you like the bee. Like bee. Cas likes the bee. Bee makes Cas happy.”

 

This is a lot for Castiel to process, but it’s true he’s highly intelligent. It clicks after a few seconds and he grins up at Dean, hugging the little bumble bee to his chest and swaying like a little kid would in happiness. “Cas likes bee. Happy happy.”

 

Dean scoops Castiel and his bee up, then flips the drain on the bathtub. Water starts to drip down Dean’s arm, soaking his flannel sleeve. He scowls. 

 

“One second, buddy.” He places Castiel down on the bathroom counter and tells him, “Cas stay.”

 

Castiel puffs up with pride, nodding in confidence. “Cas stay. Cas good.” Then he smiles again and shows Dean his bee. “Cas likes bee. Happy happy.”

 

Chuckling, Dean searches the cabinets for a washcloth. He picks the softest, fluffiest one he has. It’s baby blue with little yellow ducks all over. Castiel grumbles at him in confusion when he wraps the cloth around his tiny shoulders, but he trusts Dean. He even lets Dean take a second rag and gently dry off his crazy curls. When he’s dry enough where he won’t make a mess, but still wet enough where his tentacles won’t be damaged, Dean tries to remove the rag so they can finally go have breakfast.

 

One hand still holding tight to his bee, Castiel grabs the cloth and tugs at it as Dean tries to pull it away. “No! Stay! Cas like! Cas like! Cas like!”

 

“Okay.” Dean helps Castiel wrap up in the washcloth again, smiling when Castiel wiggles down until nothing but his tiny nose, eyes, and messy hair is showing. He looks perfectly nice and cozy, his little bee creating a big bump beneath the cloth where he’s still holding it. 

 

Depositing the little guy with his bee and new washcloth/blankie into his flannel pocket, Dean finally manages to get them into the kitchen to make some breakfast. By the time the scrambled eggs and bacon are finished, and tuna is warmed up for Castiel, Dean looks down to find Castiel fast asleep. He’s snoring softly. The blanket is falling off his right shoulder and arm. His cheek is pressed against his bee’s belly as a pillow. 

 

He’s so adorable and at peace that Dean can’t get himself to wake him up. He decides that breakfast can wait a little longer, filling his coffee mug with fresh, hot coffee and returning to the couch.

 

He never thought he’d be this happy. 

 

He never thought he’d stop being lonely. 

 

Damnit. Sam was right. 

 

Dean can never let him know. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on tumblr @ destiel-love-forever


	5. Chapter 5




	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean brings his tiny!octo to work for a day... doesn't turn out well (;

Dean can't blow off work any longer, considering he owns the place and needs to keep it running, but he takes one look at Castiel watching him put his work clothes on and feels instantly terrible.

 

"I need to go to work," Dean explains. "So we have the money to eat and watch movies and all that stuff you like. I'll go to work, and you play in your tank. Okay?"

 

Castiel blinks twice at him, but says nothing. 

 

When Dean reaches for his keys on the bedside table, Castiel grabs them first and holds them to his chest. He hisses at Dean, showing his tiny fangs, and Dean has to keep himself from smiling at how adorable the little guy is. He knows doing so would only make Castiel angry. Or, well, _angrier_. 

 

Putting his hand out, Dean says, "Give them to me, Cas. I need to go."

 

"Dee no no go! Dee stay!" Castiel cries, hugging the keys tighter. "Dee stay!"

 

"It's okay, buddy. I won't be gone very long. I promise." 

 

Dean scoops Castiel up and gives him a smile. The tiny octopus relaxes, lifting a fist to wipe at his eyes as he sniffles. Dean doesn’t realize that Castiel thinks Dean has decided to stay until he takes the keys from Castiel and stuffs them in his pocket. All of Castiel’s little tentacles curl in on themselves and he squeaks, “Stayin’? Dee stayin’?”

 

“No, buddy. Dee gotta go to work.”

 

Castiel starts to wail. 

 

"No like! No like go! Stay stay stay!"

 

"Shhh. It's okay. You're okay." 

 

Dean lifts the lid of Castiel's cage, attempting to put him inside. All eight of Castiel's tentacles are wrapped around Dean's hand, and his human fingers are digging firmly into Dean's skin as he hugs Dean's thumb tight. 

 

"No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No!"

 

"Cas-"

 

"No! No! No! No! No! No!-"

 

"Okay!" Dean shouts, needing the boy’s high pitched sobs to stop. "You can come with! Jeez."

 

The octopus settles down a little, but he continues to softly cry. "De - ee stay?" he asks around a hiccup. 

 

"No, Dee go. But Cas go too. Together. I'll bring you with me."

 

Castiel nibbles on his bottom lip, unsure. "Togeder?" he asks, testing the word. 

 

"Yes. Dee and Cas stay together. No away from each other. You'll stay with me, nice and safe, and you can keep me company at work."

 

Castiel perks up. He knows some of those words. It sounds like Dean is going to take him with! To this new, mysterious workplace he’s talking about! 

 

Squealing in excitement, Castiel starts to sing, "Work work work, Cas go work. Work work work, Cas go work." His slim body sways side to side, head bobbing, tentacles dancing, as he continues to sing. “Work work work, Cas go work.”

 

Scurrying over to his tank, Castiel continues to sing the song under his breath, concentrating on some other mysterious task now. Dean watches in curiosity as the cutie starts rifling through the little basket beside his tank. Dean gave Castiel the basket to keep his blankie and bumble bee safe, but it has begun to accumulate treasures the octopus has found around the house. Castiel pushes aside his washcloth blankie, a pretty orange bottle cap from Dean’s beer last night, the shiny piece of tinfoil that makes him giggle when he crinkles it, and Dean’s purple fuzzy sock he stole while helping do laundry, and grabs his bumble bee. He squeaks in excitement and hugs it to his face and chest, cooing as he nuzzles it. Then he wraps his tiny hand around one of the bee’s rubber antennas and lets it fall to the floor. As he waddles over to Dean, the little toy drags behind him on the floor. It reminds Dean of a small child dragging a stuffed animal or blanket as they walk. The sight melts Dean’s heart. 

 

Blinking up at Dean with his huge blue eyes, Castiel lifts his free hand and does his usual grabby fingers. “Up!” 

 

Unable to say no to that, Dean offers his hand with his palm up and lets Castiel crawl onto it. When he goes to dump Castiel in his flannel pocket like he normally would, Castiel grumbles and clings to his hand, refusing to be put down. 

 

Dean sighs. “Well, go wherever you want then, silly.”

 

“Kay!” Castiel scurries up Dean’s chest and neck, settling into his hair. Dean winces when the little bumble bee hits him in the eye during the journey, but he doesn’t yell at Castiel. Castiel is way too excited right now. Dean can’t stand the idea of making him sad. 

 

Dean just hopes they survive the day at the shop. It’s going to be quite the adventure. 

 

\---- 

 

Dean knew Castiel was a curious little guy. He knew he was mischievous and sneaky. He knew Castiel sometimes doesn't understand what he's doing. 

 

So, Dean _should have known_ that bringing the tiny little thing to an auto shop was a terrible idea. 

 

He definitely knows it now.

 

Dean stares at his tiny octopus boy who won't make eye contact with him. Now that the panic of losing Castiel is over - thankfully Benny found him inside his tool box - Dean is trying hard not to burst out in laughter. He can't smile, though, no matter how flipping adorable Castiel looks with motor oil splashed on his skin and matting his hair. If Dean smiles, Castiel won’t realize how serious the situation is. 

 

The boy isn't even worried about himself being dirty. It’s the least of his problems! Castiel knows that his owner - who he’s been starting to think of as his daddy - is going to yell at him for being naughty! But to make matters worse, Castiel is currently holding his bumble bee in his arms, which is completely covered in the same gross smelling stuff that’s on Castiel. He softly cries as he looks at the tiny bee. That was Castiel’s favoritest thing in the whole world, and he ruined it!

 

"Castiel," Dean starts, forcing his tone to stay stern. "You know better than to go wandering off. You know to stay. Cas _stay_ is good. Cas _go_ is bad."

 

Castiel sniffles and nods in understanding. "C- cas b- b- bad," he sobs.

 

“Noo!” Dean nearly shouts, hurrying to correct him. “Cas good, buddy. Cas good. Cas just made a bad choice.”

 

“Choice?” Castiel asks with his signature confused head tilt. His tiny voice lifts at the end into a squeak, like he’s excited by this new word.

 

“Choice. Yes. It’s, uh,” Dean rubs the back of his neck, having no idea how to explain this. It doesn’t help that Castiel is still covered in motor oil that’s dripping all over Dean’s work desk. That’s a bit distracting, considering Dean enjoys a clean space. 

 

“Okay. Choice,” Dean says again, getting an idea. He grabs a pencil and a pen, putting them next to each other. “Which one do you like? Cas like one?”

 

Castiel looks at the two utensils as if he’s choosing life or death. Then, very carefully, he points to the pen. His eyes immediately flick up at Dean for assurance. 

 

“Yes! Good job! So, that was a choice. You made a choice. You chose to point to the pen.” 

 

Castiel stares at him, unblinking. 

 

Dean grabs the pen again, this time placing it next to a marker. “Make a choice, Cas. Choose which one you like. Choice.”

 

“Choice,” Castiel whispers under his breath, little eyebrows pulling in. He looks at Dean one last time before pointing to the pen again. “Choice?”

 

“Good job! Yes, you just made a choice!” 

 

Blushing furiously, Castiel asks, “Cas no bad? Cas good?”

 

“Exactly. Yes. Cas good. Cas just made bad choice!” 

 

“Cas good. Bad choice.” Castiel nods slowly, processing all of this new information. He must decide to accept Dean’s explanation because he grins up at Dean a few seconds later and chirps, “K! Cas good!”

 

Laughing, Dean confirms, “Cas good.”

 

Dean picks Castiel up, not caring that he’s getting oil everywhere. It isn’t the first time, considering where he works. He’ll clean everything later. 

 

He presses a kiss to Castiel’s forehead, his lips partially in his hair as well considering how tiny the octopus is. Then he carries Castiel to the employee bathroom and starts to fill the sink with water and soap. When it’s ready, he plops the little guy and his bumblebee into the make-shift bath. 

 

Castiel hums softly to himself as he happily plays in the bubbles. He uses his tiny hands to rub the oil off of his bumble bee, cooing at it every now and then. 

 

When Castiel is squeaky clean, as well as his bee, Dean wraps the two up in a clean rag from the shop and brings them back to his desk. He slips the boy and his toy into his flannel pocket. This time Castiel doesn’t argue. He just settles into one of his favorite spots and sighs happily, watching as Dean cleans the desk off with a nice smelling soap. 

 

After glancing at the clock to find that it’s almost noon, Dean decides to take a break from trying to work. He thinks his little one would appreciate it too. 

 

“How about some lunch? Should we go eat, Cas?”

 

The octopus curls his tiny fingers around the edge of Dean’s flannel pocket and giggles, shaking his head. “We no eat Cas! Dat silly, daddy!”

 

Dean’s stomach curls with warmth. It’s the first time his pet has called him anything other than Dee - and it wasn’t just something cute like ‘buddy’ or ‘friend”, it was _daddy_. He could die on the spot. Dean’s never thought of himself as the type of person to marry and have children, but this is an absolute exception. He loves this little guy with every ounce that he has. 

 

Messing up Castiel’s hair with a fingertip, which never fails to make Castiel blush and giggle, Dean promises, “We no eat Cas. What should we eat?”

 

“Hmmmmmmmm.” As they head out the door, Dean keeps glancing down at his contemplative octopus. He keeps tapping a tiny finger against his chin, deep in thought. As if their next meal is life or death. 

 

Finally, as Dean slides into the impala and Castiel takes up his usual spot on the dash where he can enjoy the warmth of the sun while watching the road, Castiel makes a decision. “We eat chocolate,” he tells Dean simply. 

 

Dean looks at the curled up ball of octopus, tiny tentacles and arms wrapped tight around the ever-present bumble bee. He can’t help but grin. “Chocolate it is, then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on tumblr @ destiel-love-forever, where you can also find my patreon link if you'd like to see the corresponding art for this chapter!!

**Author's Note:**

> You can find tiny!octo!cas art on my tumblr : https://destiel-love-forever.tumblr.com (tag: tiny!octo!cas)


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